Elastic surgical stocking



March 1954 F. A. cAsPAR 2,672,139 ELASTIGE SURGICAL STOCKING Filed Jan.26, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnyentor FKA NK ALFEKT CAS 194K F. A. CASFARELASTIC SURGICAL STOCKING March 16, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26,1950 544401 4364?! GAS A6 8 M m Attorney Patented Mar. 16, 1954 ELASTICSURGICAL STOCKING Frank Albert Caspar, Redruth, England, assignor to PakParachute Company Limited, Redruth, England, a British companyApplication January 26, 1950, Serial No. 140,626

Claims priority, application Great Britain July 27, 1949 6 Claims. (Cl.128-165) The invention relates to elastic surgical stockings which areemployed in the treatment of varicose veins and other disorders.

The essential requirements of such an elastic stocking are that itshould produce an even pressure over the leg when in position, that itshould not interfere with circulation of air over the skin, and that itsccefiicient of friction over the skin should be low. A further desirablequality is that the seams should not be of excessive thickness.

Previous constructions of elastic stockings have not attained theserequirements entirely, since they have included in their construction anamount of rubber which contacted the skin and created excessive frictionand prevented equalisation of pressure over the leg. Also the amount ofrubber in contact with the skin reduced circulation of air. The seams inprevious constructions have also been excessively thick and lacking inelasticity.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a stocking havingthe above mentioned essential requirements. A further object of thepresent invention is to provide a simple method of making a stocking. Astill further object of the invention is to provide a simple method ofmaking an elastic surgical stocking from two pieces of elastic material.A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel way ofhemming and joining the two-way stretch material in a surgical stockingto provide a seam of substantially the same thickness and elasticity asthe material.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a piece of an example of two-way stretch lace net in anunstretched condition to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of the same piece of material havingtension applied across the warp threads,

Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically in elevation and cross-section theformation of a hem or seam, the weft threads being omitted forsimplicity,

Fig. 4 shows a cross-section on line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figs. 5 and 6 show the shapes of the pieces of material to make thesurgical stocking, and

Figs. 7 and 8 show two elevations of the completed stocking, as viewedfrom the side and from the rear, respectively.

I An example of the material employed is shown more particularly inFigures '1 and 2 and comprises elastic warp threads in with the weftthreads spun in position on the warp. The warp threads are elasticstrands covered by silk, synpair containing one thetic substitutes forsilk and/or cotton, and the weft threads are yarn of silk, syntheticsubstitutes for silk, and/or cotton. It will be noted that in theunstretched position each weft thread encircles each warp thread once.It will also be noted that there are two sets of weft threads, thosemarked Ha which follow a general direction downwardly to the left andthose marked i In which follow a general direction downwardly to theright, and that weft threads pass between adjacent warp threads incrossed pairs l2, each thread i la and one thread I I b. Two-way stretchaction is illustrated more particularly by Figure 2 where a tension hasbeen applied to the material at right angles to the warp threads Iii. Itwill be noted that the warp threads have assumed a wave formation due tothe staggered arrangement of the cross pairs l2 of weft thread onopposite sides of each warp thread. As a result of the wave formation ofthe warp threads, it will be appreciated that they have increased inlength and therefore are in elastic tension along their length. It willbe seen that this tension results from the application of a tension atright angles to the warp and also that the elasticity of warp threadsIE) allows the material to stretch in directions along the warp threadsand at right angles to the warp threads. It will also be obvious thattension applied to the material in one direction will produce acorresponding increase in tension and/or reduction in length in adirection at right angles thereto. The fact that the weft threads aretwisted or wound around each warp thread of the above described netmaterial ensures that the material will not run or unravel when it iscut as hereinafter set forth.

Surgical stockings made from this material will have all the desiredcharacteristics. Relatively low friction with the skin is a result ofall the material coming into contact with the skin, being only of silkor synthetic substitutes therefor, or cotton. Ewenness of pressureresults from a combination of the two-way stretch and elasticity such,for example, as the calf around which the stocking is normallytensioned, causing contraction of the material along the leg (movementbeing facilitated by the relatively low friction) and. consequentcontraction and tensioning of the stocking around the ankle. Circulationof air over the skin is impeded only to a very small degree, since thematerial is in fact a net.

In order to make a surgical stocking very simply to individualmeasurements from sheet twoway stretch lace net, two pieces of thematerial to suit the individuals measurements are cut out as shown inFigures 5 and 6. The leg 01' first piece shown in Figure 5 is formedwith a major part having a wide upper portion I 5 to surround the calfof the leg and a narrow portion [5 to surround the ankle and a narrowextension IE to cover the top of the foot. The first piece is furtherformed so that portions of the end edge of the narrow portion iii arecontiguous to the side edges of the extension [6. The foot or secondpiece is shown in Figure 6 and comprises a lower tapering portion H tocover the sole of the foot and two extensions [8 at one end enclosing aU-shaped recess E9. The first and second pieces of Figs. 5 and 6,respectively, are formed so that the side edges and 2| of the respectivepieces extend substantially at right angles to the directions of theelastic warp threads of the material from which the pieces are cut orformed.

In the construction of the stocking from these two parts, the side edges20 of the calf and ankle portions l4 and iii are connected together bystitching to form the complete leg portion. The end edges of theextension !8 are connected together by stitching so that the recess 59forms a hole through which the heel projects. The side edges 2| of thefoot piece are then secured by stitching to the side edges of theextension 15 and the contiguous end edge portions of the major part,indicated by the reference numerals 22, to form the foot of thestocking. The toe and the heel are left open as is usual in surgicalstockings, since these are the places which would receive the heaviestwear.

For securing the parts together by stitching, the method as illustratedin Figures 3 and 4 isvadapted with the object of allowing the seam tostretch along its length whilst at the same time not forming anobjectionably thick portion. The edges of the material shown are turnedback on themselves or reverted for a short distance, the ends 24 of thewarp threads I!) settling between the actual warp threads. The folded orreverted edges are placed in close edge-to-edge proximity to one anotherand are then stitched together by a fiat-lock or similar sewing machinewhich automatically lays a thread 25 across the gap in a zig-zag mannerand secures the thread 25 at each side of the gap by means of stitching26 extending in a direction parallel to the gap. The stitching 2B isarranged to be of such spacing so that each stitch embraces one warpthread and the turned-back end 24 of one adjacent warp thread. Thus,when the stocking is stretched along a seam, the thread 25 will open upor be extensible in the direction along the seam and the threads 25 willcompress or squeeze their enclosed elastic warp threads. In the casewhere a seam actually runs parallel to the elastic warp threads, thestitching 26 will run in between adjacent warp threads, and the parts ofthe threads 25 on one side of the gap locked by stitching 26 willembrace at least four warp threads so that again stretching the seamalong the warp will cause stitching 26 to compress the enclosed warpthreads.

The strength of such a seam is due to sewing together on a bight (theturned back thread 24) the bight making it impossible for the thread topull out of the seam. The settling of the turned back portion 24 of thethreads between the actual threads ensure that the seam is actually verylittle thicker than the material of the stocking. The elastic netdescribed in actual practice has spaces between the elastic warpthreads. at least as large as the diameter of the warp threads so thatthe turned-back ends 24 may settle easily between the warp threads.

The upper edge of the stocking and the edges of the heel and two holesare hemmed by folding back or reverting the edge of the material in thesame manner as illustrated in Figure 4 for joining and sewing along withthe flatlock or like machine so that the hem so formed is extendable inthe same manner that a seam is extendable.

It will be appreciated that the surgical stockings described are made toindividual measurement and i all cases the size of the completedstocking is such that it is slightly smaller than the leg it is to fit.The degree of tightness of each stocking may be adjusted by pulling thestocking further up the leg and over the calf, and the increased tensionis transmitted almost equally to all parts of the stocking.

I claim:

1. An elastic surgical stocking of the class described; comprising afirst piece cut from a sheet of two-way stretch lace net material andincluding a major part shaped to provide a calf and ankle coveringportion and an extension at one end of said major part formed to providean upper part of a foot covering portion, the end edge of said majorpart at the end of the latter adjacent said extension having portionscontiguous to the side edges of said extension, a second piece also outfrom said sheet and shaped to provide a lower part of the foot coveringportion, and stitching securing together the side edges of said majorpart of the first piece to provide a rear seam and securing the sideedges of said second piece to the side edges of said extension and thecontiguous end edge portions of said major part of the first piece toprovide seams at the opposite sides of the foot covering portion, saidstitching being extensible along the lengths of the respective seams.

2. An elastic surgical stocking according to claim 1; wherein saidstitching includes zig-zag threads secured across the adjacent edgesjoined by said stitching.

3. An elastic surgical stocking according to claim 1; wherein saidsecond piece has spaced apart longitudinal extensions at one end thereofdefining a U-shaped extension therebetween, stitching securing togetherthe end edges of said extensions of the second piece, and said secondpiece being secured to said first piece with the stitched together endedges of said extensions of the second piece in alignment with, andforming a continuation of, said rear seam so that said recess provides aheel-hole.

4. An elastic surgical stocking according to claim 1; wherein saidtwo-way stretch lace net material includes elastic warp threads and twosets of weft threads oppositely inclined with respect to said warpthreads, each of the weft threads encircling each warp thread that itpasses.

5. An elastic surgical stocking according to claim 4; wherein said firstand second pieces are cut from said sheet so that the side edges of saidpieces are substantially at right angles to said elastic warp threads.

6. An elastic surgical stocking according to claim 5; whereing the sideedges of said first and second pieces along which seams are formed arereverted with the turned back portions of said warp threads beingpositioned between adjacent warp threads; and wherein said stitchingincludes zig-zag threads extending between and overlying the turned backportions of the secured together edges, and threads extending parallelto each of the secured together edges and through said zig-zag threads,said threads parallel to the secured together edges passing alternatelyabove and below said turned back portions of the warp threads and theadjacent warp threads to secure said zig-zag threads to the securedtogether edges.

FRANK ALBERT CASPAR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberNumber Name Date Picot Oct. 25, 1892 Cartledge Dec. 27, 1898 Ware Aug.26, 1902 Price Mar. 23, 1928 Prazak Jan. 12, 1937 I-Iinchlift Aug. 8,1939 Brown July 31, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1904Switzerland Aug. 1, 1929

